OBS Chapter 188 Acquittal
Chapter 188 Acquittal
"That's a fresh way of putting it."
The head of the Lin family gave a cold laugh, his gaze sweeping over the bewildered Lin Liusu.
"Even I, the head of the Lin family, have never heard of this before. It seems these subordinates are quite incompetent!"
Luo Sifan had no time to discern the good or bad in her tone, and braced himself to continue:
"Master, this is a military secret. I'm afraid Commander Mu Yuansheng hasn't had time to report the battle situation yet!"
The head of the Lin family nodded slightly:
“Then tell me, and I will corroborate Mu Yuansheng’s testimony.”
Luo Sifan then revealed that the ten nomadic tribes had all come out and ambushed the Western Expeditionary Army's encampment, intending to annihilate the army in one battle.
Apart from Lin Qianxiu, everyone present was hearing about this for the first time. Although they were somewhat surprised, they were mostly dismissive.
"A mere ten bandits think they can surround and annihilate my Western Expeditionary Army? Kid, you probably don't know the difference in strength between the two sides, do you?"
Lu Lingyu grumbled in dissatisfaction, unable to see how this matter could have anything to do with Lin Qianxiu.
"anything else?"
The Lin family patriarch seemed to sense that Luo Sifan had not finished speaking, and urged him in a cold voice.
Luo Sifan silently took out the Xuan Tian Thunder Stone that Mu Yuansheng had given him and boldly walked to the front of the hall.
What is this?
The head of the Lin family was not on guard against his actions. He casually picked up the Xuan Tian Thunder Stone that Luo Sifan had presented and fiddled with it for a while.
"Master, this is an item from the celestial realm."
Luo Sifan lowered his voice, covered his mouth with his hand, and mysteriously revealed this soul-stirring news to the head of the Lin family.
Even the most composed head of the Lin family trembled slightly upon hearing this, and his gaze towards Luo Sifan changed drastically.
"Explain yourself clearly this time! If you keep trying to confuse me, I'll deal with you and Lin Qianxiu together!"
Seeing her hidden fear of the celestial objects, Luo Sifan felt reassured. He retrieved the Xuan Tian Thunder Stone from the Lin family head and smiled faintly.
"Master, I know a little about how to activate this item. Please be patient, and I will demonstrate it for you!"
Mu Yuansheng's Xuan Tian Thunder Stone had not been used for a long time, and the accumulated lightning power was full.
Luo Sifan walked to the palace gate, raised his hand and lifted the stone. With a loud crack, a bolt of lightning as thick as a child's arm swept across the trees, rocks and artificial hills in the courtyard. After several booms, the trees fell, the rocks collapsed, and the artificial hills tumbled into several pieces.
The blinding white light inside the hall made everyone's faces turn pale, as they were all startled by the commotion caused by Luo Sifan's sudden electrical discharge.
Qingyao, I'm someone who has survived the Heavenly Tribulation, yet I shamelessly snuggle into Lin Qianxiu's arms.
Inside and outside the palace, dozens of people from near and far were startled by the thunder at the patriarch's residence and rushed over.
"I am fine. You may all leave for now!"
The Lin family patriarch's eyes flickered as he looked at Luo Sifan and the mess outside the hall.
With a wave of her hand, spiritual energy formed a barrier inside and outside the courtyard, blocking the many Lin family cultivators who had been drawn by the thunder. Meanwhile, the clear decree was transmitted to the ears of the cultivators.
All the Lin family cultivators in the hall were kept outside by the Lin family patriarch's actions.
After Luo Sifan finished his demonstration, without waiting for the Lin family head to invite him, he put away the Xuan Tian Thunder Stone and walked back from the palace gate.
The Lin family patriarch stared at the thunderstone in his hand, his face showing a variety of expressions, barely managing to suppress his fear.
Seeing the strange looks on everyone's faces, Luo Sifan quickly explained:
"The power of lightning contained in this stone has been completely released, and it will not be able to recover in less than ten days or half a month."
The crowd was still skeptical, but their expressions relaxed afterward.
Luo Sifan returned to the patriarch and once again presented the depleted Xuan Tian Thunder Stone:
"Patriarch! This item was obtained by Mu Yuansheng from the wandering people who performed the Heavenly Sacrifice ceremony outside Zhuolu Mountain. This time, the ten tribes of wandering people, led by Yun Congsheng of the Yun Clan, gathered nearly 30,000 people to ambush the Western Expeditionary Army. The item they relied on was this so-called Spirit Jade!"
The Lin family patriarch raised his hand and carefully took the Xuan Tian Thunder Stone into his palm, still somewhat unconvinced:
"Although this thing is somewhat miraculous, with only a few dozen of these stones in hand, I'm afraid it's still not enough to completely annihilate the Western Expeditionary Army."
Luo Sifan had no choice but to tell him about how Yun Congsheng had personally met him and used the nine stones to form an array, creating a torrent of lightning.
"You can actually control grenades?!"
Even though the head of the Lin family was of high status and extensive knowledge, he was still astonished by Luo Sifan's account.
"The Hehuan Sect has a long and complex lineage, and I happen to have some knowledge of it. Even the origin of this stone is something I only learned about through the sect's art of appraising objects."
Luo Sifan rambled on, but anyway, the Hehuan Sect had long been wiped out by Xu Yuanxiang and brought into the Yinshuang Sword Domain. In the current Silver Frost Empire, only some legends about the Hehuan Sect remained. He wasn't afraid that anyone would step forward and expose his self-proclaimed identity.
The head of the Lin family couldn't help but think more highly of Luo Sifan, stroking the Xuan Tian Thunder Stone and pondering:
"So, Yun Congsheng's expedition this time indeed had the strength to annihilate the Western Expeditionary Army in one fell swoop. Why didn't he take action? Why did he allow Mu Yuansheng to lead his army to retreat safely?"
Luo Sifan forced an awkward smile:
"Please forgive me, Patriarch. I privately speculate that after Yun Congsheng failed to recruit me, seeing my loyalty to Deputy Commander Lin Qianxiu, he worried that their thunder formation would not be very effective, and thus hesitated and lost his momentum, missing the opportunity to encircle and annihilate the Western Expeditionary Army."
After listening, the head of the Lin family seemed to be deep in thought. He glanced at Luo Sifan, but was not annoyed by his arrogant tone. He calmly asked again:
"Let's leave that matter at that. But what about your raid on the Juanyun Army's command tent with Lin Qianxiu, seizing the commander's seal, and killing over a hundred of Lin Qianfeng's subordinates?"
Luo Sifan's expression turned solemn, and with a look of deep sorrow, he began to recount:
"Master! A general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders! Thirty thousand vagrants are lurking nearby, ready to cause trouble at any moment! As the commander of the Juanyun Army, how can Lin Qianxiu tolerate thousands of his comrades being trapped in danger! I followed Vice Commander Qianxiu, and out of concern for the safety of the Juanyun Army, I seized Lin Qianfeng's command seal so that I could confidently direct the Juanyun Army to cooperate seamlessly with Commander Mu Yuansheng and withdraw from the vagrants' encirclement and ambush in time!"
While this claim may seem absurd, the fact that wandering people possess numerous celestial treasures is already quite far-fetched for the head of the Lin family.
In comparison, Lin Qianxiu's power grab seems much more reasonable.
The Lin family patriarch looked at Lin Qianxiu and frowned, saying:
"Lin Qianxiu, why didn't you frankly report such an important matter? In urgent situations, expediency is necessary. If this matter is true, you will not only be without fault, but in my opinion, you will even have rendered meritorious service!"
Luo Sifan's audacious lies left Lin Qianxiu speechless. When the family head inquired, Lin Qianxiu had no choice but to grit her teeth, stand up, and try her best to cooperate with Luo Sifan's story, saying miserably:
"Qianxiu's actions were driven by both public and private motives. While seizing the command might benefit the overall situation, over a hundred loyal subordinates of the Lin family lost their lives at the hands of Qianxiu and Lin Xiaozhi. Afterwards, Qianxiu was heartbroken and felt deeply responsible, and was disheartened and unwilling to make excuses. Please forgive me, Master!"
The Lin family patriarch fiddled with the Xuan Tian Thunder Stone in his hand, thoroughly enjoying it. She listened attentively to Lin Qianxiu's impassioned speech and nodded, saying:
"Lin Qianxiu, remember to be careful next time this happens! I was going to hold you accountable today, but you should thank this subordinate properly. He's loyal, outspoken, and very capable!"
The head of the Lin family glanced at Luo Sifan and finally revealed a rare, gentle smile.